A typical cafe Americano or “long black” consists of a standard dose of extracted espresso coffee (about 30 mls) in a total beverage volume of about 200 mls, the balance between the espresso and the total volume being hot water. Other ratios and volumes are also contemplated.
One popular but inferior way of making a cafe Americano or long black is to load a portafilter of a espresso machine with a standard single dose of ground coffee, extracting the full volume of the cafe Americano through the portafilter and with the portafilter in place. Although this method is easy, the passage of more than about 25-30 mls of water through the grounds in the portafilter results in over-extracting and drawing out of woody, pungent and other unintended flavours. This diminishes the quality and taste of the beverage. The correct ordinary method for making a cafe Americano or long black is a two (2) step process. In the first step, a standard dose of espresso coffee is extracted into a cup then moved to an auxiliary or secondary outlet for the addition of the final volume of hot water. This process can be reversed so that the water is added first followed by the standard espresso shot, dose or serving.
The above correct, two (2) step process however requires, with respect to either variation, the additional step of relocating the drinking vessel and adding water at a location that is usually not directly under the portafilter of the espresso machine.